The Buddhist Council of New South Wales is a charitable, not-for-profit organisation set up to help Buddhist temples and Buddhist societies in New South Wales (now also ACT) and to represent the Buddhist community to mainstream society. The Buddhist Council represents more than 100 Buddhist organisations within New South Wales. We are a member of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils (FAB
C), which represents Buddhist organisations throughout Australia. Buddhism varies in its practice from country to country, from tradition to tradition, and from teacher to teacher. The Buddha himself recognised that the vehicle for his Dharma (teaching) would adapt and change over time and in different places. A Dharma Community brings all Buddhist traditions and schools together. While respecting the distinct value and heritage of each tradition, a Dharma Community emphasises the essence of the Buddha’s teaching which is common to all Buddhist schools and traditions. The Buddhist Council of NSW therefore encourages all Buddhist groups, temples and societies to come together to appreciate each other through the essence of the Dharma itself. To have Open Arms is to be open to everyone in the general community, to build bridges of understanding and to act compassionately towards all humanity, whether Buddhist or non-Buddhist. The Spirit of Our Vision
Our starting premise is that the Dharma (the Buddha’s teaching) is the most effective medicine that we can take and that the Triple Gem is the best protection. Making the Dharma more accessible is an act of generosity and compassion. There is a difference between proselytising and making a profound teaching more accessible. Buddhists don’t proselytise for lots of reasons. On the other hand, making the Dharma accessible is about helping and communicating with others who have made a conscious choice to explore Buddhist teachings and practice. There is great potential for the evolution of Australian Buddhism from a Buddhist community into a Dharma community. The difference is that a Buddhist community is the co-existence of many Buddhists, whereas a Dharma community exists when Buddhists realise that they share the one Dharma, they share common problems and they share the same opportunity to generously and compassionately make the Dharma more available to others. Having Open Arms will require us to be more tolerant and more sensitive to the integrity and value of different traditions, and more inclusive of those different traditions. This openness could even extend not only to other Buddhists, but to anyone, of any spiritual tradition, any philosophy. This vision of a Dharma Community with Open Arms recognises our inherent interdependence – which comes from Buddhist teachings. We are not separate, there is no “us” or “them”, we really are connected in many ways and we ultimately depend upon each other.
“Buddhism has a long history. It has flourished in the East for 2500 years, and during this time ... numerous sects and schools have sprung up … These schools present a picture ... of unity in diversity... All aim at the attainment of Enlightenment ... At the same time they approach it in a number of ways and from many points of view. ... Despite their apparent differences, even mutual opposition, we should study and learn to appreciate them all, thus making ourselves acquainted, as far as possible, with the whole vast range of Buddhist thought and practice. Only in this way will it be possible for us to obtain a balanced picture of Buddhism. Otherwise we might commit the mistake of identifying Buddhism with one or another of its expressions, maintaining that this, and this alone, was the true embodiment of the Buddha’s teaching. Such a course would be ... sectarian exclusiveness which … is quite foreign to the spirit of Buddhism.” - Sangharaksh*ta, 1965.
